


Preferences

by illyrilex



Category: King of Fighters
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkward questions, Bisexuality, Gen, Halloween, Quarantine, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27316030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illyrilex/pseuds/illyrilex
Summary: One-shot: King's favourite holiday is a bust, but a call from her brother prompts a discussion that wouldn't have been possible without Chris Hemsworth.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	Preferences

**Author's Note:**

> I've done a Halloween special for two years in a row, and I really didn't want to break that streak. I had also planned a short for National Coming Out Day (also in October) but it didn't quite pan out so I decided to use that to create this holiday-themed mess.
> 
> Onward~

* * *

The month of October was bullshit, which, in and of itself, was bullshit.

Normally, October was fantastic: Haunted houses would pop up around Southtown and little pumpkin patches were put together near the suburbs outside the city. Residences and most businesses would decorate with festive skeletons, or orange and purple string lights, and the days were shorter and pumpkin spice anything was pretty much unavoidable.

 _However_.

While the days were still shorter and pumpkin spice anything was still pretty much unavoidable, haunted houses, pumpkin patches, and anything else that was fun in a spooky sort of way was pretty much nonexistent.

Which was part of why King had spent the majority of the month in a terrible mood.

Normally, "Spooky Season" was her favourite time of year: she would decorate (both at home and at work) and purchase obscenely large bags of candy, and pick out some sort of costume. She would always work the night before Halloween, which gave her an excuse to do a little partying (but not too much because, after all, she was _working_ …) before taking the actual holiday off so she could spend time with her brother, Jean, either by taking him trick-or-treating or, now that he was a little older, getting together to play scary games and watch scary movies while binging candy and popcorn.

But not this time around.

Illusion was still closed to the general public, and King hadn't seen Jean in person in _months_. Halloween was, for all intents and purposes, cancelled. However, she did try her best to be a _little_ festive by putting a glittery Happy Halloween sign up on her door and placing a haunted house votive candle holder in the middle of her coffee table, but everything just _felt_ different. So, when the simple decorations couldn't lift her spirits she decided to take a page from Mai's book, but, instead of purchasing a ridiculous, animal-themed onesie, she procured a black jumper with the human skeletal system printed on it, along with a simple gray hoodie. She would periodically dress up in the ensemble, not caring at all that she probably looked like a huge weirdo to anyone who hadn't seen _Donnie Darko_. (Hell, she probably looked like a huge weirdo to anyone who _had_ seen _Donnie Darko_ …)

When Halloween finally arrived, King found herself on the living room floor, clad in her "costume" and trying to take photos of her cat, Marron, whom she had dressed up like a taco. Instead of giving her much of anything to work with in terms of cute poses, the feline had simply flopped over onto his side and stared at her blankly, seemingly unsure of what it meant to even exist.

"At least sit up, you little gremlin," she sighed as she moved into a prone position. She angled her phone to get what would have been a great shot had the cat not haughtily turned his head away in a manner that practically _shouted_ "fuck you for doing this to me."

"Fine," she grumbled as she exited her camera app. "You win this time, mon petit ami."

King reached over and undid the velcro straps that kept the costume in place; as soon as the pudgy cat was freed from the garment he took off running to the kitchen, presumably to the safety of his food bowl. King, meanwhile, turned on to her back and scowled at the ceiling for just a moment before getting up and making her own way to the kitchen, where she pulled a bag of mini 3 Musketeers bars out of a cabinet, grabbed a can of wine from the fridge, and walked over to the sofa. Her phone started playing Weezer's _My Best Friend_ , which made her drop everything — literally — so she could answer her brother's FaceTime call.

"Hey, Céc," Jean enthusiastically greeted as the picture came into display.  
"Hey, Kiddo."

King picked up her food and drink, and then carefully placed her phone up against the little haunted house on the coffee table, noting that her brother was out on the front porch of their aunt and uncle's house.

"How come you're outside?" She asked him.  
"Some of my friends are taking a walk — not trick-or-treating — and are gonna drop by. Thought I'd say hi before they get here."

At that, King's eyes widened and she bounded forward. If her brother were to be exposed to COVID-19 it would be disastrous, as his autoimmune disorder would lower his chances of survival by a significant amount; it was why she hadn't seen him since the beginning of the year — because if _she_ were to pick it up and unknowingly pass it along…

"Maddy and Gary are letting — are they out of their _fucking minds_?!"  
"No, Céc, it's not —"  
"Six feet, Jean!"  
"Dude, why are you freaking out?!"  
"Why do you think?!" King exclaimed.  
"Céc! I've been cooped up with Maddy and Gary and I haven't seen any of my friends since this thing started…!"  
"I understand that, Jean — I do! — but you can't risk yourself, or even Maddy or Gary because you want to see your friends! Where the hell are their parents, anyway?!"  
"I don't know, they didn't say. But no one's gonna come near me, okay? We all have masks and I'm gonna stay on the porch and they'll stay on the sidewalk or in the driveway."

King narrowed her eyes at the small screen, unconvinced.

"I promise," Jean said. He held up his pinky finger and grinned. "Pinky swear. I'll even keep you on the phone so you can see."  
"No," King replied while holding her own pinky up. "I trust you. Besides… I wouldn't want to cramp your style."  
"Pfft. You wouldn't be cramping my style, Céc. All of my friends love you."  
" _Me_?"  
"Yeah — they think you're the coolest ever."  
"I don't know about _that_..."

With a smirk King reached for the 3 Musketeers; the siblings were quiet as she tore the bag open and pulled out one of the small candies. She unwrapped it carefully, then shoved the whole thing in her mouth and turned her attention back to Jean, who appeared borderline horrified.

"Geez, Céc, what the hell?!"

The two giggled, though it was a little harder for King, who was trying to keep from accidentally choking. She finally swallowed and reached for her wine.

"What? I'm hungry," she informed Jean while she opened the can.  
"You're not gonna get drunk alone, are you?"  
"I can handle my liquor, kiddo. And, even then, it's just a little wine. No big deal."  
"That's not an answer," Jean deadpanned.  
"I do not intend to get drunk."  
"Suuuuuure."  
"Have I ever lied to you?" King asked casually, despite the fact that she had definitely lied about some very major things on more than one occasion.  
"You're a jerk," Jean remarked, though his lips were curled upward in a tiny smile.  
"You wound me, mon cher frère…"

The pair fell silent once more. As King drank she noticed a _very_ slight change in her baby brother's demeanor that signaled that something was on his mind. Almost as if on cue, Jean screwed up his face — like he was thinking about his next words very carefully.

"Hey, Céc?"  
"Yes?"  
"Can I ask you something?"  
"Of course, kiddo."  
"You have to promise not to get mad."

King quirked a brow while unwrapping another candy bar.

"Why would I —"  
"Just promise, okay?"  
"I… sure," King replied, a little confused by the sudden shift in the conversation. To further add to her perplexity Jean flipped the camera on his phone so that it was facing the house across the street.

"...Jean…?" King prodded. "Qu'est-ce qui se passe?"

There was a drawn out pause before Jean cleared his throat, and King knew that, for some reason, he was about to change languages on her, which was something he didn't do very often.

"Comment… t'as su… que…" Jean drew the word out as he trailed off, leaving King doubly curious.  
"Jean…?!"  
"Umm… forget it," he said, quickly switching back to English.  
"Umm, no!? You can't build it up like that and then chicken out, so what did you want to ask me? How did I know what?"  
"I really shouldn't have —"  
"Jean."  
"...Y-yeah?"

King looked at the camera, concerned, before taking another drink of her wine. It was time to exert her Big Sister Authority.

"Turn your camera so that I can see you," she commanded, her voice clear and assertive.  
"But —"  
" _Now_."  
"Fine," Jean sighed.

After a very brief moment the view of the other house disappeared, and Jean was back on the screen, his face a little red. For a second King thought it was the beginning of a flare-up, but, upon further inspection, she could tell that the colour was — thankfully! — the result of embarrassment.

"Okay," she started with a gentle smile. "Now that I can see you again… what did you want to know about?"  
"You can't get mad."  
"I'm not going to get mad," King assured, "but I _will_ start to get annoyed if you continue to draw this out longer than you have to. Especially because this is _me_ you're talking to and you should know better. So, what would you like to know that has the potential — in _your_ mind — to upset me?"

Jean took a deep breath and held it. He squared his shoulders and cleared his throat again, but fixed his eyes on something offscreen. He finally exhaled before asking, "How did you know you were bi?"

King raised her eyebrows, surprised by the unexpected question, but not at all upset.

"That's it?"  
"Yeah…"

Jean placed his phone down against one pillar before situating himself across from it so that most of his body was in the frame. His posture was so rigid, further displaying his discomfort.

Meanwhile, King thought back to when she was younger: She had always been very confident… but, thanks to her surroundings, coming to terms with _that_ aspect of herself hadn't been the _easiest_ thing in the world.

( At first, anyway.)

"How did I know," she murmured while looking down at the floor. She pressed her lips together while she continued to think until she had an answer.

"I know what I like," she finally admitted with a shrug.  
"No, but… how did you actually _know_ that you liked — what was it that made you realize that you were into girls, too?"  
"It was just… a _feeling_ , I guess. How do you know _you're_ into girls?"  
"I, uhh… think they're hot?"

King chuckled at her brother's answer (and expression) but then instantly stopped.

"Jean, are you trying to —?"  
"Oh, no," Jean interrupted very quickly. "I'm not… I've never thought about other boys like that or anything."  
"You _sure_?"  
"Yes!"  
"Then why are we having _this_ particular conversation?"

Jean made a face as he stared off at something across the street.

"Because you're so… sure of yourself. You're... _comfortable_ even though people out there don't like… or approve of it."  
"Well it's not like I go around broadcasting it," King responded. "And I wasn't _always_ so comfortable with that part of myself..."  
"But why not?"

At that, King stopped. She pressed her lips together while trying to recall what things had been like while she was growing up.

"People weren't always so accepting," she started. "Things are much different now than they were when I was your age. Societal views and standards have changed. But… I always knew I wasn't what was considered 'normal' — that there was something that wasn't 'right' in the eyes of a lot of people. It wasn't my tendency to like things that weren't traditionally feminine — like fighting — but… I don't know. It was something else. Plus, it wasn't like I could just go around saying such things, either. I knew I had to keep quiet _because_ it wasn't 'right,' and because people would look at me differently. To be honest… I don't know if mom and dad would have been okay with it…"

Silence. Long, drawn out silence.

"...So… what made you decide to tell Maddy and Gary?"  
"Spite."

Jean wrinkled his nose, his expression full of disbelief.

"Seriously?!"  
"Yeah," King snickered. "They already hated me, and I think they suspected something anyway. It was worth it for the look on Maddy's face alone."

King finished her wine and smiled at her brother, who looked to be relaxing a little.

"Let me ask _you_ something," she spoke up. "What did you think when Maddy outed me? Did it change your perception of me at all?"  
"No. I just thought she was an asshole," came Jean's answer.  
"And why's that?"  
"Because you're my sister, and I love you no matter what. And that's something _you_ should have told me — not her. Oh, and she was really mean about it, too. But I had kinda figured it out before then. I just didn't wanna say anything."  
"Oh really?" King asked, grinning. "And how was that?"  
"When Jess sto —"

King nearly choked on the candy she was chewing; although long ago, her breakup with her ex had been anything _but_ amicable. She regained her composure fairly quickly but flashed Jean an intense scowl.

"Sorry," he fretted. "I forgot how much you hate hearing her name!"  
"It's… it's fine," King stammered. "Just don't say it in front of me again."  
"O-okay. But that reaction — that's kinda how I knew. And you would comment about girls being pretty and men being trash, even though I remember you having a boyfriend for a while back in France, and, also, the way you used to look at —"  
"That's not a thing anymore," King abruptly cut her brother off. "I'm _long_ over that."  
"Sure you are."  
"I _am_."  
"I'm just messing around with you, Céc. Chill."

There was another stretch of silence. Jean twiddled his thumbs while King looked him over very deliberately.

"Hey, Jean, are you _sure_ you're not…?"

"I'm _sure_ , Céc!"  
"Buuuuuuuuut…?"  
"Buuuuuut… I looked at Chris Hemsworth the other day and thought, 'Wow! That is a _very_ good looking man!' So then I wondered, well, what does that mean…?"

King immediately burst into laughter.

"So that's what this is about?!"  
"Damn it, Céc! I'm hanging up!"  
"No, Jean! Don't! I'm sorry," King breathed as she willed herself to stop laughing.  
"That's _right_ you're sorry," Jean grumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.  
"Okay —" King ran a hand through her hair — "so you're absolutely sure you don't like boys, but you found yourself thinking that Hemsworth is a good looking cat anyway. Is that correct?"  
"Yeah."

King couldn't help herself as she stifled another fit of giggles.

"Oh, Jean," she sighed. "You've always been very observant. Recognizing that someone is hot doesn't mean anything more than just that: recognizing that they are hot. And, even if you end up feeling a little… _more_ … then that's perfectly okay."  
"...Okay," Jean replied with a tiny smile.  
"Now," King began. "Is there anything else you'd like to ask me before your band of misfits arrives?"  
"Ummm… there _is_ one thing," Jean replied slowly.  
"...what?"  
"You can't get mad at this one, either."

Brow quirked, King suddenly found herself wishing for more wine, as she had a feeling that her brother was about to ask something really weird. She gave him a non-verbal cue to go ahead, but couldn't help noticing the pigment starting to seep back into his cheeks.

"...What's tribbing?"

King's jaw dropped. Her eyes went wide and, for a moment she was at a complete and utter loss for words.

"...You've _got_ to be fucking kidding me…!"

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! So that's done! Yay!
> 
> * Donnie Darko is a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal that's about stuff. Google it.  
> * Mon petit ami = My little friend  
> * Jean has Lupus (non-canon, but I've been over this elsewhere), and is, thus, immunocompromised  
> * mon cher frère = my dear brother  
> * Qu'est-ce qui se passe = what's going on  
> * Comment t'as su que = How did you know that you  
> * King and Jean's parents were Catholic, and Maddy and Gary are super conservative, straight-up homophobes  
> * King's aunt outed her to Jean (off-screen) at some point before Chapter 5 of Oxygen to Breathe  
> * Jessica was King's girlfriend of two years who cheated on her with more than one person - at the same time. They broke a few weeks prior to the first Art of Fighting  
> * Google Chris Hemsworth if you don't know who he is. (Though, at this point, pretty much everyone ever should know who he is because THOR.)  
> * Tribbing, scissoring... poor King can't catch a break from her friends or her family...
> 
> Hope that wasn't too much of a mess! Remember to social distance! Happy Halloween!


End file.
